In a nutshell, Rocky leaves America for India and becomes part of a small village in Chennai. The children look up to him as they might a big brother. He cares for them and they care for him. One might read this and think of it as another tale of a First World-er attempting to fix the Third, but this is not one of those tales. Rocky is a young man whose heart is so full and so genuine that he will have you questioning and redefining love and what it means to be human. So much more than a film like Her ever could.

We've heard time and time again how television can rot your brain and it's better to pick up a book, but if you find the right shows, or in this case stumble upon them, they can really have an effect on your life. I have a feeling Rocky and the women and children will linger with me for some time and perhaps (hopefully) even encourage me to take some kind of action with some part of my life. It's not just the power of a story, it's the power of a pure story. Blood Brother will humble you in the sort of way that not much else can. (Blood Brother is playing on KQED Life tonight (January 21, 2014) at 9pm.) --David Aloi

Documentaries have taught me a lot through the years. Grey Gardens taught me to own my eccentricities and to have as many cats as I want. Man on Wire taught me to never take my eye off my dream. The Times of Harvey Milk taught me to speak up. And Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry taught me never to shut up. It had been a while since I had an Oprah a-ha moment because of a documentary. That all changed when I saw Blackfish.

The film by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite tells the story of an orca named Tilikum who has killed several trainers due to the stressful conditions of living in captivity at SeaWorld. We learn about whales as a species, how intelligent they are and how intricate their relationships with each other can be. And it asks the question, why is our desire to gawk at these majestic creatures more important than their well-being, and what happens to these animals after we've been splashed and taken our photos and left the theme park? The answers are difficult to hear. But it's essential that we do. It'll make you want to help change the way we treat animals...and even photoshop yourself freeing them. --Emmanuel Hapsis

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3 Documentaries That Will Change Your Life